YouTube Rumoured To Launch 'Channels' Next Week

The Wall Street Journal expects the next generation of YouTube to begin next week with Channels, a handful of hubs focused around a particular theme that feature hours of original programming.

But more than just shoehorning these channels into the current working design of YouTube, the entire site is expected to be reorganised around these channels and is expected to have companies such as IAC and NewsCorp producing video content for the site.

This comes almost seven months after YouTube pledged to throw down $US100 million on original content for the site, and now it seems like it could finally come to fruition. I just hope it isn't a bunch of reality webisodes. [WSJ]